A recommendation from his sister led Taft to Nathaniel Yorke-Davies, a British physician specializing in the medical management of obesity. It was an unusual move, since there were several highly popular diet gurus in the United States at the time, including John Harvey Kellogg.

At the time, Yorke-Davies was sounding an alarm about the dangers of obesity. He identified it as a cause of lung and heart problems, and premature death. One of his books, “Foods for the Fat: A Treatise on Corpulency and a Dietary for its Cure,” became quite popular.

At first, things went well. Taft lost 59 pounds between the beginning of December 1905 and April 1906. He was proud of his progress but seemed aware that success would be long struggle. According to one letter reviewed by Levine, Taft wrote to his brother that, “Everybody says I am looking very well, which indicates I suppose that I have a good color … but I am pretty continuously hungry.”

The success didn’t last. Three years later, when Taft was inaugurated as the nation’s 27th president, he tipped the scales at 354 pounds (a BMI of 45). Despite his obesity, President Taft lived to age 73. By comparison, the average man born the same year as Taft (1857) lived less than 45 years.

LESSONS FROM LOSERS

I suspect that President Taft had what we now call metabolically healthy obesity. People with this form of obesity don’t develop Type 2 diabetes and have no greater risk of heart and blood vessel disease than people who aren’t obese. His struggles with weight are much the same as the stories I hear from patients today. They decide to lose weight and find a diet that feels right. There’s an initial period of weight loss, but at some point, the pounds become harder and harder to shed. That’s often followed by a period of weight gain. Many people end up heavier than they were before dieting. It’s a frustrating cycle that makes some people give up trying.

But it is possible to lose weight and keep it off. A fitness program, coupled with better nutrition and limits on TV time, all help, the National Weight Control Registry found after gathering information from more than 10,000 men and women who lost weight and kept it off for years. To these sensible changes, I’d add one more: Get enough sleep, but not too much. People who sleep too little (less than six hours a day) or too much (more than nine hours a day) are more likely to gain weight.

One thing that has changed between 1909 and today is the number of Americans who are obese. During Taft’s time, obesity was relatively uncommon. Today, 36 percent of Americans are obese, including an alarming number of children. To reverse this unhealthy trend, we as a nation need to choose healthier diets and get more physical activity. And this should start in early childhood.

The new year, and taking a long, healthy view of weight loss, is a good place to start.